Chelsea Clinton Steps Out

She's the only child of one of the most powerful couples in American history, the gangly teen who has spent her life ducking the glare of the spotlight her parents craved, the bride whose wedding was watched as if she were royalty, and the would-be journalist whose latest gig inspired fury. And now, Chelsea Clinton is stepping out of the shadows and embracing public life, reports the New York Times in a lengthy and flattering profile. “My parents taught me to approach the world critically, but also to approach it with a sense of responsibility,” Clinton tells the Times.

Aside from her work with the Clinton Global Initiative, Clinton has this year joined Barry Diller's IAC board and taken a job reporting at NBC News—steps deliberately taken toward a public life and public service. Grandmother Dorothy Rodham “told me being Chelsea Clinton had happened to me,” says Clinton, “and outside of my advocacy work and campaigning for my mom, I wasn’t doing enough in the world.” Clinton was also rumored to be considering running for office in New York, but though she will undoubtedly inherit the Clinton mantle, her political ambitions are less certain. But, says one Dem consultant, she'd be a welcome addition: “She’s smart, she’s charming, and she’s got the last name Clinton.” (More Chelsea Clinton stories.)